Honda powers PRC relief with 140 generators

Honda Philippines has completed its donation of 140 generator sets to the Philippine Red Cross (PRC), handing over the second batch of 70 units to support disaster response and community services.

The first 70 units were turned over on 17 September 2024. With this latest delivery, Red Cross chapters across the country will have more reliable backup power for emergencies, especially during typhoons and the ongoing La Niña season when outages are common. The 6.5KVA generators are intended to keep essential equipment running, from lights and communications to medical devices that need steady electricity during relief operations.

Honda and the PRC have worked together for years, including during the height of the pandemic in 2020 and after super typhoon “Odette” in 2021. The company says the goal is to help the Red Cross respond faster and more effectively when communities are hit by disasters. More dependable power at the chapter level means responders can coordinate teams, store critical supplies that require refrigeration, and continue serving people even when the grid goes down.

Honda Philippines president Takeshi Kobayashi led the company delegation at the turnover, joined by assistant vice president for Business Administration Gerry Datario and other officers and staff. Philippine Red Cross Chairman Richard Gordon and Secretary General Gwendolyn Pang received the donation for the organization. The event underscored a shared focus on practical support that can be deployed immediately in the field.

The partnership reflects a broader push to make disaster readiness part of everyday operations. Backup power reduces delays during the first crucial hours of a response, when information is limited and the need for action is high. It also helps chapters keep communication lines open as they coordinate with local governments, hospitals, and volunteers.

Honda sees the effort as part of its commitment to social responsibility in the Philippines, focusing on clean and green surroundings, support for education, better quality of life, and, importantly, protecting human lives through road safety and disaster preparedness. The company says it wants to be the kind of business that communities can rely on, and this donation is one way to make that concrete.

The Red Cross, for its part, gains tools it can send wherever the need is greatest. With more chapters equipped, the organization can respond to simultaneous incidents in different regions without losing capacity at home base. It’s a straightforward fix to a recurring problem: when power goes out, relief work shouldn’t have to stop.

In the end, the measure of help is not in the ceremony but in the quiet moments after a storm, when a light flicks on at a chapter office, a radio crackles back to life, or a nurse plugs in a device and gets back to work. That’s what these generators are for, and that’s where they will matter most.